Your Presidential Daily Brief: US: Russia Bombed Convoy | Trump Foundation's Financial Shenanigans

[The Presidential Daily Brief] [The Presidential Daily Brief] IMPORTANT September 21, 2016 [Donald Trump supporters wave signs at his rally last night in North Carolina. Source: Getty] [White House: Russia to Blame for Strike on Aid Convoy in Syria] Everyone's pointing fingers. The White House says regardless of whether Russian or Syrian planes dropped the bombs, [Russia] is responsible for Monday's attack on a United Nations aid convoy near Aleppo that killed 20 civilians and forced the U.N. to suspend deliveries of medical and other supplies. Russia, meanwhile, says there's no evidence of an airstrike. Top Obama adviser Ben Rhodes said the U.S. hopes to continue the crumbling cease-fire deal, but the strike "raises serious questions about whether or not this agreement moves forward." Sources: [CNN], [AP], [BBC] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Report: Trump's Charity Paid to Settle His Legal Problems] The plot thickens. Donald Trump's foundation, funded primarily with donors' money, paid $258,000 to settle his legal disputes, according to The Washington Post, which could violate "self-dealing" laws against nonprofit leaders using charity money for themselves. His [campaign] manager dismissed the concerns, though Trump provided his foes fodder by quipping that he loves to use "other people's money" in business. Meanwhile, at a North Carolina rally, the Republican claimed that Black communities are "absolutely in the worst shape they've ever been in before - ever, ever, ever." Sources: [Washington Post], [CNN], [AP], [LA Times] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Twelve Officers Injured in Charlotte Police-Shooting Protest] The cycle continues. Charlotte, North Carolina, police say Keith Lamont Scott was holding a [firearm] and posed an "imminent deadly threat" when Officer Brentley Vinson, who is also Black, shot and killed him. But witnesses say Scott was holding a book, not a gun. A crowd of about 100 gathered at the scene to protest police killings across the country, including Friday's in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The protest was allegedly infiltrated by "agitators" who damaged police vehicles, and 12 officers were injured as police used tear gas to break up the crowd. Sources: [USA Today], [BBC], [Al Jazeera] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Bank of Japan Experiments With Deflation-Easing Policy] It might be too little, too late. [Japan's] economy has had three and a half years of slowed inflation, and the country's central bank has had enough. It surprised the global financial community by vowing to cap 10-year bond yields and to intentionally overshoot its 2 percent inflation goal in a bid to bring prices up. The news saw the Nikkei rally nearly 2 percent and the yen fall slightly against the dollar while investors puzzle out whether this unusual step will help or hurt the nation's finances. Sources: [WSJ (sub)], [FT (sub)] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] Briefly Know This: The Justice Department has [filed charges] against Ahmad Khan Rahami in last week's New York and New Jersey bombings. South Korea and the U.S. are planning a [simulated attack] on a nuclear facility next month. And [underwater archaeologists] found a 2,000-year-old skeleton in the famed Roman-era Antikythera shipwreck.  Read This: We can't tell you why Brangelina broke up, but [here's a longread] on how Angelina Jolie's controlling the media narrative about their split.   Remember This Number: 700,000. That's how many people are estimated to die each year from drug resistant infections, prompting a forthcoming pledge from all 193 U.N. member states to [work together] on fighting superbugs. [Sponsored by: Jaguar] [Your Phone Wants to Make You More Polite] Our phones are invaluable sources of information. That's no surprise, but they can also help us remember our manners. Should you text at the dinner table? How long is too long when replying to a message? If you don't have an etiquette expert to tap during tricky situations, there are apps and web tools to help. Find out if that email to your boss is nice enough, or send that rude dude an anonymous message about his behavior. Maybe you'll even learn to curb your potty mouth. The answer to being more polite? It's right in your hand. Sources: [OZY] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] INTRIGUING [Angelina Jolie Files for Divorce From Brad Pitt] Bye bye, Brangelina. The [actors] and parents of six are calling quits on their marriage of just two years, after more than a decade together. Jolie, a U.N. diplomat and lecturer at the London School of Economics, has reportedly filed the legal paperwork to dissolve the marriage. The pair have been tabloid favorites since co-starring in Mr. & Mrs. Smith - while Pitt was still married to actress Jennifer Aniston. Jolie is reportedly seeking physical custody of the children as speculation abounds over just what caused the split. Sources: [Hollywood Reporter], [The Atlantic], [City AM] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Kaepernick Says Anthem Protests Have Drawn Death Threats] Doesn't his life matter? Colin Kaepernick told reporters he's received death threats since he started protesting against police brutality and racial discrimination by refusing to stand during the [national] anthem, though he didn't report the threats to 49ers security. The San Francisco quarterback said if he's killed it will have "proved [his] point." Kaepernick, who plans to donate $1 million to communities in need, added that the police officers involved in the recent killing of Terence Crutcher, the unarmed Black man slain in Tulsa, Oklahoma, "should be in prison." Sources: [ESPN], [Yahoo! Sports] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [The Newest Trend in Building Design: Microbes] They're more than meets the eye. All buildings are teeming with living microscopic organisms, but exposure to some of these microbes can boost the immune system. Now scientists in the field of indoor microbiology are finding ways to design buildings to work with those microbes, possibly seeding homes with good ones rather than trying to seal inhabitants in sterile environments. As DNA sequencing makes the science more accessible, researchers are looking into microbes' effects on mental health and asthma, and how the right microscopic organisms can fight for you. Sources: [OZY] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Could We Cure Cancer by Treating It Like a Computer Virus?] If only treating diseases were as easy as wiping a hard drive. But that might not be far off: Microsoft's currently testing a set of research computers that could be used to fight cancer. At the moment, they're processing massive amounts of data related to [cancer] research and drugs. But researchers say their ultimate goal is to create cells with "living" computers that can be programmed to treat diseases. They believe it may be possible to set up a "smart" molecular system within a decade. Sources: [The Independent] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Chickens and Bugs Help Farmers Stay Green] The key to organic farming is the food chain. Rather than using potentially dangerous chemical pesticides on crops, farmers - particularly those on small, organic farms - are increasingly turning to insects and free-range chickens for pest and weed control. Now researchers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are trying to find ways to sustain these helpful predators on bigger conventional farms. In a coordinated effort, scientists are breeding new natural predators for invasive species like the soybean aphid - and [farmers] in America's heartland are putting them to work. Sources: [NPR] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] Your 8 must reads to get you ahead of the curve FAST FORWARD [Designing Buildings to House Our Favorite Germs] [Read In Full] GOOD SH*T [For the Love of Funnel Cake] [Read In Full] RISING STARS [How a Fake Astronaut Prepares for Life on Mars] [Read In Full] 20M people love reading OZY every month. Be part of the revolution. [Facebook] [Twitter] [Instagram] [Vimeo] [Youtube] Add us to your Address Book | Having trouble viewing this email? [Read Online] This email was sent to {EMAIL} This email was sent by: OZY Media 800 West El Camino Mountain View, CA 94040 [Manage Subscriptions] | [Unsubscribe from this email] | [Privacy Policy]